Baby Bay Laurel

Baby Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis 'Baby Bay') is the culinary bay tree scaled down for a courtyard. It settles at about 1.8m tall and 1.2m wide rather than the 6m or more a standard bay reaches, on a denser frame with smaller, glossier leaves. You pick from it all year, and it clips into a ball, a cone or a low hedge.

Why you'll love it

• Real cooking bay in a manageable size. The same aromatic leaf used in stocks and slow cooked dishes, on a plant that tops out near 1.8m.
• It clips beautifully. Small dense foliage and a tight habit make it one of the easier plants to shape into topiary or a formal low hedge.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established and comfortable with salt wind, so a coastal courtyard suits it.
• Evergreen, fragrant and built for pots. Glossy leaves all year, cream flowers in spring, and slow fibrous roots that let it hold the same large pot for years.

Where it works best

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A pot 400mm or wider is the sensible minimum, and container growing holds it near 1.2m to 1.5m. A matched pair either side of a doorway is the classic use.

Low hedging. Plant 60cm apart in a single row for a hedge that closes at 1m to 1.5m. Tighter and the inner branches shade each other out.

Topiary and shaping. Balls, cones and standards hold well because it reshoots readily from the cut. Two trims a year keeps the line crisp.

Growing Baby Bay Laurel in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the densest growth, though it accepts a few hours of shade. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is frost hardy once established. In the humid tropics it survives but sulks.

Soil. Free draining above all. This came off Mediterranean hillsides and will not tolerate wet feet through winter. On clay, mound the planting hole and work compost through. In pots use a quality potting mix rather than garden soil.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then taper to occasional soakings. Potted plants need more. Feed a controlled release fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer.

Pruning. Trim lightly and often rather than hard and rarely. Cut just above a leaf node, take no more than a third at a time, and prune after the spring flush so new growth covers the cuts.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in a wide range: tube stock, 140mm, 200mm, 250mm, 300mm, 400mm and 500mm. Tube and 140mm plants are young single stemmed seedlings, cheapest per plant and the right choice for a hedge run, though they need two to three years of trimming before they read as a formal shape. The 300mm and 400mm sizes are the usual pick for a pot, and 500mm plants arrive already branched.

Bay travels well, with tough leathery leaves that shrug off transit, and a little leaf drop in the first fortnight is normal. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the edible plant range
• Plants that clip well into topiary
• Choosing the right size pot
• Compare other plants suited to containers

Common questions

How big does Baby Bay actually get?

About 1.8m tall and 1.2m wide left untrimmed, roughly a third the size of a standard bay tree. In a pot it usually settles closer to 1.2m to 1.5m.

How far apart for a low hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Expect two to three years from tube stock to a closed hedge, or one to two from 300mm plants.

Is it safe around pets?

No. Bay leaves are toxic to cats and dogs if eaten, and the stiff leaf edges can cause physical irritation as well. Keep potted plants out of reach if your pet chews foliage.